Outstanding Seniors in the College of Science: Diana Way
This fall, departments in the University of Arizona's College of Science nominated an outstanding senior who went above and beyond during their time as a Wildcat. We are pleased to share their stories as they reflect on their time at UArizona. Next up in the senior spotlight series is Diana Way in the Department of Psychology.
Diana Way
Hometown: Highlands Ranch, Colorado
Department: Psychology
College of Science: Why did you choose your area of study?
Way: I chose to study psychology because I really love learning about how the mind works. I have always been curious about specifically behavior and how our experiences mesh with our minds to influence our behaviors. So with studying psychology I have really been able to learn a wide variety about behaviors in all aspects, allowing me to see what specifically I want to pursue studying in the future. It brought me to wanting to learn more about addiction behaviors as well as behaviors associated with PTSD. Going along with this I have always known I want to work in healthcare, so I chose a pre-health thematic minor to allow me to explore the aspects of medicine that may intersect with my passion for psychology.
COS: Tell us about a class or research project you really enjoyed.
Way: One of my favorite classes I took here at the UA was called Language and Thought. It was all about answering the question, does our language influence the way we think or does the way we think influence our language. I really loved being able to learn about all the differences in languages there are across many different concepts (i.e. color, time, numbers) and seeing the way that actually influenced people of that language to think about those concepts. For example, in Russian there are distinct names for the colors light blue and dark blue, whereas in English they both would fall under the label of “blue”. So when tested it was seen that those who spoke Russian were more accurate and efficient at discriminating between shades of blue than English speakers were. I found this extremely fascinating to see how something that could seem insignificant in language is truly having in impact in our perceptions and thoughts about the world. It really was a great class that allowed me to explore the other avenues of psychology that I didn’t know much about and I think it was very beneficial to my overall education as a psychology student.
COS: What is one specific memory from your time at UA that you'll cherish forever?
Way: When thinking of a specific moment I will cherish forever from my time here at UA there are so many to choose from. However, I think the most impactful was meeting some of my best friends during my first year here. I’m an out of state student and I came to the UA during Covid so I was definitely nervous with the aspect of knowing no one in this brand new place. However, during that year I was able to meet the people that are my best friends to this day and truly helped make the UA feel like my home away from home. There are so many other things I will cherish from my time here, but building these relationships has truly been so impactful in not only my experiences at UA but also all the things I face in everyday life.
COS: What is next for you after graduation?
Way: After graduation I am going to be continuing with my job as a Registered Behavior Technician performing ABA therapy for children diagnosed with autism. I also will be taking my MCAT to hopefully continue my education in Medical School to achieve my goal of becoming a Psychiatrist.